A coming-of-age movie about a Bermudian boy’s battle for independence hits TV screens next week.

The film Bike is directed by local filmmaker Vanz Chapman, who began working on the project two years ago.

He had expert help from the late Bermudian/Guyanese documentary maker Errol Williams, the man behind When Voices Rise.

Mr. Chapman said “The inspiration for the film came from Errol's teaching experiences at different schools in Bermuda, including CedarBridge Academy. 

“At the time Errol was wrapping up his last documentary, Walking on a Sea of Glass, a film about an early Bermudian civil rights activist. 

“After he had finished on the documentary, Errol was very interested in doing a dramatic film loosely based on the students that he had taught during his years as a teacher at different high schools in Bermuda. 

“We began to meet and came up with the idea to have the story revolve around a boy turning 16 and getting a bike and experiencing the freedom that comes with getting your first bike in Bermuda.”

The pair secured funding from the Ministry of Culture and the Bermuda Arts Council to research and develop a script and shooting style. 

Mr. Chapman said: “Sadly, Errol passed away after we had finished the script but before we could raise the money and shoot the film. 

“Last summer I decided to fund the film out of my own pocket so I put together a small film crew and hired local students [mostly] from CedarBridge Academy who were suggested by Pat Nesbitt, a teacher there to act in the film.” 

The movie was shot over two weeks in August 2008 and Mr. Chapman began editing the footage in early 2009.   

Bike is the story of Jason, a poor 16-year-old whose desire for freedom and independence depends upon getting a motorcycle.

Unsure how to achieve this, he begs, borrows and steals until he has enough cash to buy one.

But no sooner does Jason start enjoying the freedom the bike brings, it is stolen — setting in motion a chain of events that will change his life forever. 

Mr. Chapman studied English literature at Hampton University and later moved to England to study filmmaking at the prestigious London International Film School. 

He has an MFA from Howard University in Washington D.C., where he won the Paul Robeson Award for his short film In America. 

In 1997, he was accepted as a writer-in-residence at the Canadian Film Centre.